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Thailand's Katana Outlines Expansion of Postproduction Business

The studio, which has handled post on top regional projects such as Wong Kar Wai's "The Grandmaster," aims to up its output from 40 to 100 films a year, and to sign joint ventures in China and Japan.

Kantana Group, one of Thailand's oldest and largest film and TV studios, has announced plans to expand its postproduction business amid rising demand from film companies in the region.

Speaking to the local Thai press, Jareuk Kaljareuk, chairman of Kantana Group, said the company's postproduction subsidiary aims to up its output from handling post on 40 Southeast Asian films in 2013 to 100 next year.

"We want to provide total solutions for TV and film postproduction," Jareuk told Thai daily The Nation. "We have put this strategy at the center of our business,"

The company is investing $48.2 million (1.5 billion Thai baht) in digital equipment, technology and staff training, and it says it is currently recruiting technicians to expand its 3D conversion and production teams.

Kantana has targeted $35 million in billings for post work next year.

As part of its expansion ambitions outside Southeast Asia, the company is aiming to establish joint ventures in China and Japan next year. It said it hopes to lift its billings by 64 percent in those markets to $3.5 million.

The company has handled postproduction for several leading Asian filmmakers over the years, including Hong Kong's Peter Chan and Wong Kar Wai. Wong has worked with Kantana on several of his films, including his current foreign language Oscar contender, The Grandmaster.